Webinar MC
eMHIC
CANADA
Nicole Waldron is a dynamic speaker, mental health advocate, and storyteller with lived experience as a family mental health caregiver. She speaks with authenticity, compassion, and purpose—sparking conversations that challenge stigma and inspire hope.
Nicole delivers impactful keynotes, panels, and workshops on:
- The journey of family mental health caregivers
- Building a Victory Mindset through adversity
- Community wellness, co-operative housing, and advocacy
- Empowering women, youth, and marginalized communities
As the host of the Victory Speaks Podcast & Show, she encourages audiences to live with intention and resilience. Her talks combine vulnerability with practical tools to cultivate wellness and purpose.
Nicole is a respected voice in mental health policy, serving as a Family Advisor with CAMH, Stella’s Place, and OFCAN. She collaborates on several mental health initiatives, including CIHR-funded research and the MHA Provincial Coordinated Access Working Group.
Recognized for her leadership, she is a recipient of the Brian Burch Community Service Award, named among the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women, and honoured by HERstory in Black.
Nicole serves on the boards of The Co-operators, the Ontario Caregiver Organization, and CHFT Charitable Fund. Her mission remains clear: speak life, ignite victory, and amplify voices that matter.
CEO / Creator
FLOAT VR (by BrainSwitch Labs)
CANADA
Doron Meir is the CEO and Creator of FLOAT VR, a mental wellness platform developed by BrainSwitch Labs. With a background in animation, games, and interactive media, Doron has held creative leadership roles across the entertainment industry and is the author of Workflow, a book about the creative process.
Today, he combines his passion for storytelling and immersive design to create therapeutic VR experiences that make mental health support more accessible and engaging.
Officer & Founder
Metaverse for Good
Patricia combines a solid technical and technological foundation in AI systems with extensive interdisciplinary training in clinical neuropsychology, cognitive sciences, ethics and biotechnology applied to health, among other fields. She is also the founder of ‘Metaverse for Good’, an ethical observatory that researches individual and social identity in extended reality (XR) environments.
Today, she coordinates the Health Data Working Group at DAMA Spain and actively participates in ethical issues in leading organisations regarding European Data Spaces. She is also involved in research initiatives in the field of neurotechnologies, neuroethics and neurorights with a spotlight on Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) as the pinnacle of the Metaverse.
Joint Founder and Managing Director
XR Health Alliance
UNITED KINGDOM
Ross O’Brien is a Digital Health Growth Leader specialising in scaling AI and Immersive healthcare companies across the UK and international markets. Through his work with the XR Health Alliance (XRHA), he has supported hundreds of organisations to navigate complex health-system challenges including NHS procurement, regulatory compliance, market access, partnership development, and investment readiness.
Ross is Co-Founder of the UK XR Health Alliance and co-author of The Growing Value of XR in Healthcare in the UK, a landmark report developed in collaboration with the NHS, UKRI and Health Education England to shape the national strategy for immersive healthcare. Through programmes such as Mindset XR, XRHA continues to accelerate the adoption of evidence-based immersive technologies across health systems. Previously, Ross served as Managing Director for UK and Europe at Wysa, the global leader in AI mental health support, where he established the company’s UK and NHS footprint and secured major contracts across children, young people and adult mental health services.
Ross began his career in the NHS, most recently as Director of Innovation and Technology at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. He also led the Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service following the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy and previously delivered the London Digital Talking Therapies Programme at Healthy London Partnerships, helping establish a digital single point of access for NHS talking therapies across the capital. He is a graduate of the Digital Health London Digital Pioneer Fellowship and a current Fellow of the NHS National Innovation Accelerator. Ross holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights from the University of London and lives in the UK.
Researcher in Criminology, Education, and Applied Interventions
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
ISRAEL
Hagit Sabo-Brants (PhD) is a researcher in Criminology, Education, and Applied Interventions. She heard about Float through "That Neuroscience Guy", a popular podcast by neuroscientist Olav Krigolson.
After contacting Doron Meir (Founder of FLOAT VR), she decided to purchase a VR Headset and became a user - using the app to help manage cognitive overload and emotional regulation. As a criminologist, she immediately saw the potential for people struggling with aggressive behavior and emotional distress, and decided to put together a group of researchers and conduct a study with at-risk adolescents in two juvenile detention centers. The study was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Aggressive Behavior.
Hagit, a mother of 3 living under the constant stress of an ongoing war, still uses Float regularly and remains one of their most valued advocates.